If paying $10 more for paint means I continue to get the safest, 180 acre, 5 big game having, funnest field in the world, I'll grit my teeth and pay $20.

Chrono Tags MANDATORY. (doesn't mean much if nobody checks after they switch paint/barrels mid-game, and every big game i've ever been to has this) Spot Checks Mandatory. Tickets punched for infractions that follow the player and cost the team points at each insert. Referees In Play, having the player in the bunker next door suddenly whistle play dead, then punch the ticket of his bunkermate and send him to the dead zone for wiping, blowing his whistle to restart after (i've watched HS refs watch blantant blindfire instances without doing a thing, it was players who had to grab the guys marker to bring it to an end). Having paramedics and an ambulance onsite every big game day.
Rob

Seems my crew has only run into the bad refs, or, complete lack of, in most of the engagements, even ones that happened within site of the nearest capture point. Nearly every time i needed a paintcheck, it took about 2 minutes of one of my guys running around to find a ref to go check the location. And, all the 'refs-in-play' i encountered didn't exactly glow with sportmanship. Not to mention the fact they don't enforce the rules very well when actually on field, or seem to have a full understanding of them...telling my teammate he is "out" b/c he ran out of paint to shoot, happened atleast once each of the times i've gone up there. Glad they are removing the oft-abused/misused choppers this year.

Then there are the field hazards, like old half-buried metal fences. As someone who assists in running a field i tend to look for these things more than average, well, when the hazards aren't tearing my clothing.

It is a nice field, don't get me wrong, and definitely on the top part of the list of fields i've played at, but certainly not the golden rainbow.../rant

Back OT...yeah, not sure if i'll be as willing to make the drive with if it is $80 or more, my crew likes their wallets. I know other fields charge more (we've been to some of them, and its one of the reasons we won't go back), but seriously, there is no reason to, especially when the paint always seems to be not-quite-right for the big games.

Panhead,
Sure there are things that are missed on such a large field especially during a big game and your correct the field does have room for improvement and changes are being made every day in fact I'll be directing the field management to this thread.

However, if my marker breaks i run out of paint, air or I decide I'm going to shoot at someone with imaginary pistols these things will not remove me from the field no matter how silly. Hells brings in refs from other fields and local teams for big games although they go through a orientation and a rundown of rules, the bottom line is not all refs are created equal In the future if you have issue with any refs ruling at HSI. I recommend having the ref radio in for a ruling each ref is equipped with a radio also be careful not to lose your cool with the ref this will get you removed from the field as fast as a hit. As a secondary measure you can get a refs jersey number and take it up with the head ref in the dead zone he wears Yellow and black stripes.

I believe most of agent smiths feelings for the field come from the weekend open play days. It is a safe and very fun play environment we play mainly the front 1/2 of the field. More often than not having a ref within earshot eager to rundown your kill or to let you know your not quite the shot you think you are.

Seems my crew has only run into the bad refs, or, complete lack of, in most of the engagements, even ones that happened within site of the nearest capture point. Nearly every time i needed a paintcheck, it took about 2 minutes of one of my guys running around to find a ref to go check the location. And, all the 'refs-in-play' i encountered didn't exactly glow with sportmanship. Not to mention the fact they don't enforce the rules very well when actually on field, or seem to have a full understanding of them...telling my teammate he is "out" b/c he ran out of paint to shoot, happened atleast once each of the times i've gone up there. Glad they are removing the oft-abused/misused choppers this year.

Then there are the field hazards, like old half-buried metal fences. As someone who assists in running a field i tend to look for these things more than average, well, when the hazards aren't tearing my clothing.

It is a nice field, don't get me wrong, and definitely on the top part of the list of fields i've played at, but certainly not the golden rainbow.../rant

Back OT...yeah, not sure if i'll be as willing to make the drive with if it is $80 or more, my crew likes their wallets. I know other fields charge more (we've been to some of them, and its one of the reasons we won't go back), but seriously, there is no reason to, especially when the paint always seems to be not-quite-right for the big games.

The refs lately have been pretty decent. (the ones i've encountered.) I had one year where a ref was calling out team colors. He told a couple red players that there were yellow in the woods right near bravo when in fact it was me and a friend, who were red team as well. he kept calling out colors. I ended up getting shot out by a fellow red player because of it and the ref made me leave the field. I was pissed. I stopped at West point and told the ref there about the dip **** ref at bravo. The ref said "they can't do that! What was his ref jersey number?...your still in!" and he wiped my hit and let me keep playing.

Seems my crew has only run into the bad refs, or, complete lack of, in most of the engagements, even ones that happened within site of the nearest capture point. Nearly every time i needed a paintcheck, it took about 2 minutes of one of my guys running around to find a ref to go check the location. And, all the 'refs-in-play' i encountered didn't exactly glow with sportmanship. Not to mention the fact they don't enforce the rules very well when actually on field, or seem to have a full understanding of them...telling my teammate he is "out" b/c he ran out of paint to shoot, happened atleast once each of the times i've gone up there. Glad they are removing the oft-abused/misused choppers this year.

Then there are the field hazards, like old half-buried metal fences. As someone who assists in running a field i tend to look for these things more than average, well, when the hazards aren't tearing my clothing.

It is a nice field, don't get me wrong, and definitely on the top part of the list of fields i've played at, but certainly not the golden rainbow.../rant

Back OT...yeah, not sure if i'll be as willing to make the drive with if it is $80 or more, my crew likes their wallets. I know other fields charge more (we've been to some of them, and its one of the reasons we won't go back), but seriously, there is no reason to, especially when the paint always seems to be not-quite-right for the big games.

Tinman's right more than he knows, not only does the open play experience color my opinion but I'm judging on a longer and basically different scale than you are, Panhead4411.

It's my humble opinion that you're judging them against your standard of what a good ref should be and what a good ref crew made up of good refs should be and that's fine as far as it goes! The same with the field.

I however judge them only against other actual refs and actual fields that I can get in a car and drive to or get in a plane and fly to.
I grade on a curve made of what really is, not what might theoretically be, if only folks weren't so 'folksy'.

You could match refs to players 1 to 1 and people are going to cheat or try to.
That's why I see a golden rainbow and you don't, IMO.

Back in 07 the SPPL finals were at D-Day park in Okla, ANY chronoing you did to your gun was voluntary and completely unmonitored.
I watched a guy ride out of that cowpasture in the backseat of a car after a jagged piece of metal cut through a brand new set of empire grind kneepads, his pants and his flesh to the bone.
I missed the refs partying out of bounds while the guy was shooting marbles at Skirmish ion, but I talked to multiple witnesses.
NOT marballizer-marbles.
At LL5 I could have played all weekend without approaching the chrono. I passed a bunch of players from both teams throughout the weekend that had no teeny little punches in their cards at all.

Other places have BS punches for chrono in ID cards that you can make at the car with a punch from the dollar store.
Only HS puts stickers in rotating colored logos on the triggerguards as far as I know.

You don't THINK you were spot checked, but everyone within 50 feet can see if there's dayglo tape the correct day's color on your gun unless you carry it under your shirt(a little suspicious!). At 20 feet I can see if your tape has the correct logo.
You're shooting in crowds of hundreds of people all at velocity X. You think noone can tell if you're at X+20, first of all? I can, often.
What about the red Chrony bolted on the back of the cart that cruises the field all day checking people?
Implying that nobody checks again or watches after morning chrono is full-on untrue.

Naturally, the bigger the game the bigger the chaos.

As for us RIPs, the "all the" and the "I encountered" saved you in my eyes, Kudos.

Since 2005 I've taken hundreds of hits doing paintchecks for folks who were as unsatisfied and, pardon me for saying it, as ungrateful as you.
The 2010 TWC I couldn't take the field after lunch on sunday, I got hosed in the back of the neck and head so bad.
Hosed up good. 6 total hits in a zone smaller than a baseball from 3 guns at a distance of maybe 10 feet.

NOT doing what I PAID just like you did, to go there and do.
Instead I ruined a hardearned day of my limited vacation and risked real injury shielding a little tiny kid from my own team.

A little tiny kid who well should have been taught to call himself out when his guardian went.

Somebody else's lack of caring and intelligence became my emergency.
I don't mind saying I'm as proud of those welts I got that day as I am of any shot I ever made. That satisfaction is all I get and all I need.

You do know we're volunteers? That I and my fellow RIPs came friday nights to ref briefings and piled a bunch of stress on, all those weekends, for an RIP Tshirt? That I was sufficiently shirted up by 2007 that I haven't even claimed the free shirt in the last 5 years?

Do you think it's easy finding people with the guts to blow that whistle and stalk up to a guy with a 20BPS autocannon, yelling cease fire at the top of your lungs? For a Tshirt?

It's blessed hard and that's why you've made me so happy!

If you should ever attend another event at Hell Survivors, PM me the week prior and I will have three RIP forms waiting on gameday, for you and up to 2 more players whose character you vouch for.
Accept this offer if you come, please.
Then at least you can say "Hell Survivors called my bluff and all I got was this lousy Tshirt".
As Tinman said it's always a work in progress but finding and challenging people like you with experience to help, puts the progress in 'work in progress'.

If you see Fence or anything unpaintballfieldlike(sweet new word, just now) tell ME where it is and I will make it go away!

Rob

__________________
PISTOLERO:
We play Pistol and we encourage the Few despite the discouragement of the Many.

At all the open play games, especially the pump/pistol days were great. I was at the monster game for two days and it was chaos. There were times that refs were on your like flies on dog erm fecal matter, and other times there wasn't a ref around.

What I did like was that other teams were brought into ref for the large games. It makes sense to have refs who have some playing experience around to help/moderate/make sure safety is followed instead of some fields who have very green refs who never dealt with large crowds before.

It's not a perfect system, but all my experiences at Hells have been top notch.